I am always inspired when I come across people sharing their full, creative selves with the world. Ann Lawton is one of those people, not only making beautiful things and putting them out there, but also supporting people struggling in some way with expressing their soul through creating something with their hands as an art therapist.

Join us for a conversation on how art can be used to express our innermost selves when words fail us, how we can overcome our fear of rejection/not being good enough to just start playing with color or even Dollar Store toys, to re-discover our creative nature and express what's deep within us longing to come out. Be sure to check out at 17:00 our conversation around what happens to squelch children's creativity, increasing our self-doubt, at a young age and how our traditional educational system needs to change to support our self-expression.

Ann E. Lawton believes that art has the potential to heal, transform and empower individuals and communities. As a Registered Art Therapist, she has worked with inmates, domestic abuse survivors, young adults with depression and anxiety, addicts and individuals with cognitive impairments.

As an artist, Lawton investigates the essences of everyday experiences and circumstances. Visual expression and the process of art making allows her the perspective to transform random, seemingly meaningless events into meaningful and contemplated moments of significance. The splices of paper and washes of paint in her work try to blend the balance between spontaneity and structure visually, yet also serve as the symbolic mirror of the constant swell and swale of finding that balance in her personal and professional life.

Lawton received her Bachelors of Science in Broad Area Art with a minor in psychology from the University of Wisconsin—River Falls and her Masters in Science in Art Therapy from Mount Mary University in Milwaukee. She teaches full-time in the art department at UWRF and conducts adult and child art enrichment classes at various local institutions in Western Wisconsin.

Instagram: @ae_lawton

Website: www.aelawton.com

TEDx Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPszGBfjuOY&t=357s